RAHENY Shamrock Athletic Club won their first senior men’s title at the GloHealth National Road Relays for the first time in five years on home soil.
Perfect running conditions greeted the 33 clubs and over 80 teams on an excellent day of racing in the North Dublin suburb.
The Masters’ Women (Over 35 and Over 50) got racing underway and it was Sli Cualann who were first to strike gold in the four-mile relay (1-2-1 mile legs) in the Over 35 section with 23:19. The F50 Raheny Shamrock women took top honours in 27:30.
There was a great finish to the Masters’ Men’s Over 35 race with Donore Harriers just holding off Rathfarnham WSAF in the final one-mile leg of the four-mile relay in 19:34 to 19:36. Mick Traynor led Raheny Shamrock AC’s M50 team to a comfortable win in 20:25.
In the men’s race, a record-breaking three-mile leg from Raheny’s Mick Clohisey of 14:04 proved pivotal in helping them to gold for the first time in five years, with Mark Kirwan, Kieran Kelly and Daire Bermingham also playing their part. Raheny came home 18 seconds clear of Ennis Track, who held off Kilkenny City Harriers for second.
John Travers of Donore Harriers equalled Clohisey’s record on the three-mile leg, helping his team to fifth. Leevale AC retained their women’s title in convincing style. They had a 31-second winning margin over Crusaders, who edged Sli Cualann for second.
